Vintage Love in the 1st Degree: my Ref. 5508 Story

[AK00]

Greetings all!

My journey towards Vintage Rolexes has been a short but magikal one, and without a doubt a continuation for a long time to come.

It all started out with my love for Tudor Snowflakes that has exponentially expanded into the realms of Rolexes.

Over 2 weeks ago, I saw an ad which featured a 1959 Ref. 5508 Tropical Glit Spyder for sale.

As many Vintage collectors know, Ref. 5508 is not that really rare, but it is getting rarer to acquire over the years. Based on my observations, many 5508s out there in the current market contain:

1) Replacement Dial - with Swiss < T25

2) Incorrect Replacement Hands - usually with Glit 5513 hands which are a tat shorter, not fully touching the outer rail of the dial markers.

So my quest came to a halt and I knew that with this Ref 5508, I was confident that it was in its original form.

In addition, the occurence of a Tropical Dial coupled with development of Spyder patterns is quite scarce.

At that time, I knew that it was "now or never" for me. On the contrary, with regards to Vintage Rolex collecting, the process of hunting down the right one itself is most definitely an enjoyable abeit lengthy one.

So I booked a flight up to Taiwan to meet up with the seller in person. It had to be a face-to-face transaction for me, as I needed to go through the verification of backcase opening, movement checking....etc.

Well, you can only imagine the excitement that I was going through, from sleepless nights, and the anticipation was elevating with every minute passing by.

Once I touched down at the airport, I contacted the seller and in 2 hours, it was transaction time. Bearing in mind that this was my 1st time taking a flight out to actually acquire the Vintage Rolex of my dreams, I was rather nervous. Too many "What Ifs" came into mind.....However, prior to this flight decision, I had already did my reference checks with regards to the seller. Everything checked out fine with the email correspondence, and it was a Green Light for me.

The rest of the story, well....are the visualizations depicted below. :)

Thanks for reading my story! I have never been so elevated in my life and this 5508 will be one that I will keep close to my heart and wrist for a long time to come!

[wintermutt]

Congratulations - that is a beautiful acquisition and a great little story.

I too have a penchant for Snowflake Tudors that is evolving into a lust for vintage Submariners of all stripes. Every time I see one it gets Deeper.

[RLX-lvr]

Alan

Wow, that is a great looking 5508.

I really love the shade of light brown the tropic dial has turned.
And the spider web effect kicks it up a notch!

Enjoy.

[Dan Pierce]

Beautiful, Alan! Same vintage as me.
dP

[R1@160@alltimes]

Excellent, congtats....and thanks for sharing

[mike]

Wonderful story and stunning example. Big congrats.

[Ivan]

Fantastic watch! I really do enjoy hearing the stories behind the purchases and what rationale we each use.

Alan - Do you intend to wear it often or just on special occasions?

[Peter1]

Now - that's a watch. I would love to spend some time in S-E Asia just seeing what there is to be found. Australia doesn't have a great deal of nice old stuff ... and what I can find here usually involves a knock down battle and paying top dollar.

[therolexguy]

Great example. Congrats.

[onkyo]

Wow... great story. It must make that piece even more special to you.

And big congrats on acquiring a beautiful piece of Rolex history.

[AK00]

Thank you for your kind comments my friends!

Originally Posted by Ivan

Alan - Do you intend to wear it often or just on special occasions?

Ivan: I have been wearing this 5508 since it was in my hands. Even to sleep for the first 3 days...believe it or not. Just can't seem to take it off.

Time is of the essence, imo, and watches are meant to be worn. Of course, we do have our rotation habits when it comes to multiple collectables.

For now, I deduce that this 5508 will be on my wrist for a long time to come.

Funny thing about my collecting style is that I do lose interest on a recent acquisition quite quickly, and will move on to hunting down another vintage in a matter of weeks --- am sure some of us are like that. So much for breaking the bank eh? :)

Since this 5508, I found myself stopping in search for another Vintage for quite a while now. What an expensive habit!!

Been off the usual forums and marketplace, and I reckon that my next acquisition will take a longer stretch than usual from hereon forth.

This 5508 is the grail for me at the moment, but of course Big Crowns like 6538s, 5510s continue to entice me --- wishing one day I will be able to couple 1 with this tropical beau.

:)

[Some Pair]

Good Story, and a Very Very Cool Rolex!

[Subexplorer]

Nice watch and a great story behind.
The 5508 is my Grial Rolex too, and I had shown and told the story of mine some time ago.
Really a CLASSIC!!
Enjoy this nice watch in good health!
Best regards, Abel

[inspires]

Congrats Alan! Definitely a beauty!

Next time I'm in Shanghai I'll drop you a line!

[Tools]

Great story and a great watch.........

[tomvox1]

Stunning watch & well done going after & bagging it--it's a beauty!
Enjoy,
T.

[ParisDakarBmw]

Love the watch too!

[Sgthuff]

Great story,congrats on a great rolex.